The Shadow of Grief
by schizoferb
Summary: Rossi comforts Seaver after Prentiss's funeral. Submitted as part of the March Madness challenge. Prompts were Dave/Ashley and City of Angels. Not the best summary... Read and Review please!


Well, this took much longer than I thought it would. I had a plot, and then I saw 'Lauren' and my mind exploded. So I scrapped it and wrote this.

Reviews are appreciated, especially since it's my first time writing either of these two.

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><p>Sun shone from the clouds. Birds chirped. Flowers sat in full bloom, gently swayed by the breeze. All these factors and more combined to create a serene and blissful March day.<p>

The irony of it all slapped Rossi across the face.

Prentiss was dead; her funeral had just ended. It was a small service. Apart from the team, not a lot of other people showed up. Due to her mother's diplomatic status, Prentiss had few true friends. Doyle had killed most of them anyway. And he was still out there.

That fact filled Rossi with hatred.

Everyone had left now, except the team, who were saying their final goodbyes. Morgan and Garcia held hands in silence. Hotch's stone face showed no emotion, sharply contrasting Reid, who, without JJ's support, would have collapsed a long time ago. Rossi looked at his team and realized someone was missing. He turned and, to his surprise, saw Seaver sitting on a bench, her back turned away from the team.

Rossi walked to her side and placed his hand on her shoulder. She jumped a little. "Are you alright?"

She looked up at him and wiped her puffy eyes. "I- I'm fine."

"Walk with me," Rossi replied and began walking down the concrete path. Seaver glanced back at the mourners, hesitated, then followed.

"So what's wrong?" Rossi asked after they had traveled out of the earshot of the others.

"Nothing."

"Ashley, I've been a profiler since before you were born. Lying's not a smart move."

Seaver immediately averted her eyes from him. "How can you tell?"

"You've hardly said anything since Emily died. During the funeral, you couldn't look away from the casket. And just now, you separated yourself from the group. Why?"

"They were saying goodbye. And…"

"You didn't think you deserve to," Rossi interrupted. Seaver nodded, confirming that he had finished her thought exactly.

"It's just…I mean, I haven't worked with her as long as any of you, you know? It wouldn't feel right."

"Because?" Rossi asked, confused.

"Because it's all my fault."

That threw Rossi for a loop. "What are you talking about?"

"Prentiss dying. It's my fault. My profile didn't come quick enough. I gave Doyle the time he had. I practically handed it to him on a plate."

"Wait a minute…,"Rossi tried to interject his opinion, but Seaver ignored him.

"I should have tried harder, I owed her that much. She made me feel welcome."

"What do you mean? Who made you feel unwelcome?" Rossi asked, reviewing a list of names in his head. Surely he hadn't done anything. Had he?

"Everyone. Well, no one actually said or did anything, but I'm a profiler, I can tell. They all hate me for replacing JJ. Especially Reid. He hates me the most. I don't know why but he does. And now he's going to hate me even more, same as the others."

"Hang on, hang on, stop. That's not true at all. No one hates you. They're just getting used to your being here, that's why they've been a little off. And as far as Reid goes, he doesn't hate you. He's just really uncomfortable with change. Trust me, I'd know. I took over for Gideon after he left. Jason treated him like a son. Kid avoided me for months."

They walked in silence for a few steps. Few other people were in the cemetery, so the silence echoed off of every tombstone.

"Was he in love with Emily?" Seaver asked, breaking the silence.

"Who?"

"Reid. I saw him kiss his rose before he put it on her casket."

"Yeah. Ever since she took a beating for him. But it wasn't just Reid. Everyone loved Emily, even Hotch."

"So I guess that means I screwed up pretty badly then, huh?" Seaver wiped her eyes fiercely, trying to stave of oncoming tears.

"Ashley, look at me." She stopped and met his eyes. "This isn't your fault. This isn't anyone's fault. Your job was to help us create a profile, and you followed through with the quickest and most accurate profile I have ever seen from a rookie. You did your job. We know that. No one knew that Doyle was going to kill her so early."

By this time, they had come full circle. The remaining members of the team had gone home to grieve, leaving Prentiss's grave empty and alone.

"Did Emily know?"Ashley asked, looking at the stone as if Prentiss was standing there revived.

"No," Rossi answered. "But she knew that if she didn't go to Doyle, he'd kill us. She knew she wouldn't be able to live with herself if she let that happen. She willingly sacrificed herself to protect us, her family. That's what she'd want us to remember. The love. Not the blame."

Seaver began to cry. Rossi wrapped his arms around her in a hug and sighed. It will take a long time to recover from this loss. And even then, time would never heal their wounds; only make them easier to bear. But for now,he let her mourn, while the time was still appropriate and the world was standing still.

He would be there for her until the shadow of grief passed over.


End file.
